1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anomaly monitoring system for a molding machine which detects an anomalous stoppage of the molding machine during continuous operation, and transmits a detection report to a communication terminal at a different location via communication means.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Generally, in an automated molding plant in which an injection molding machine is operated continuously, monitoring anomalous stop of the injection molding machine is an important task for securing productivity to thereby fulfill a production plan. Therefore, in the case where a night operation or a 24-hour continuous operation is performed without a supervisor, when the injection molding machine anomalously stops, a step necessary for resumption of operation cannot be taken, with resultant fatal problems such as failure to fulfill the production plan. Meanwhile, in the case where a supervisor always monitors the injection molding machine, the supervisor must work at nights or on holidays, which poses a big problem for, in particular, a small-scale automated molding plant which has difficulty in employing shift workers.
Therefore, conventionally, there have been proposed a monitoring, management, and control system for a molding machine (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-86531) and an anomaly monitoring apparatus for an injection molding machine (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-370271), which are designed to enable remote anomaly monitoring. The former monitoring, management, and control system includes an injection molding machine, peripheral equipment, various detectors, a process controller, and a host computer. The host computer has a communication section which communicates with a cellular phone at an outside, remote location via the Internet to which the host computer is connected. With this configuration, the host computer exchanges various data with the cellular phone; and monitors, manages, and controls the injection molding machine in accordance with instructions from the cellular phone, to thereby continue the operation of the injection molding machine. The latter monitoring apparatus is designed to send an electronic mail from an electronic mail transmission section when an anomaly detector detects occurrence of an anomaly in any of injection molding machines, to thereby inform a supervisor of occurrence of an anomaly.
However, the conventional monitoring system and apparatus for monitoring anomaly of molding machines have the following problems to be solved.
First, since a computer system or a monitoring apparatus equivalent thereto is interposed between a molding machine and mail transmission means (communication means), there is a merit such that various types of processing can be performed by use of the computer; however, the hardware configuration of the entire system becomes too complex in an effort to satisfy a user's need of knowing minimum necessary information at a remote location, whereby cost and size increase to an unignorable degree.
Second, since the communication section of a monitoring apparatus (monitoring system) and the communication section of each molding machine are mutually connected via a communication line and monitoring is performed, by means of computer processing or active processing, by a method in which the operation state of each injection molding machine is obtained at anomaly detection intervals of, for example, 5 minutes, the control method becomes complex, and cost increases to an unignorable degree because of software cost.
Third, since the molding machine must have necessary functional sections such as a communication section, the monitoring apparatus (monitoring system) cannot be attached directly to an old-type injection molding machine or the like which does not have a communication section. Therefore, the conventional monitoring apparatus (monitoring system) encounters difficulties in relation to attachment and general application to various molding machines.